Notes from a film set...

We hold these film-shoot truths to be self evident:

1. That the most attractive woman around is always, without fail, the makeup artist.
2. That the people who order the salads and wraps for lunch always scoff their face with chicken fingers and fried mozzarella sticks.
3. That nothing baring electric shocks or psychotropic drugs can make an unwilling twelve year old smile.
4. That there's nothing unfunny about a makeup artist yelling: "I'm just going to go and touch-up the kids!" (Touch-up their makeup, that is.)
5. That a good director can make genius look effortless.

Quiet on the Set!

I have spent the last two days at a 'film shoot.'

Nothing nearly as exiting as it sounds. It was a short installation video for a bit of kit my company produces - but I'd contributed heavily to the script and was one duty as a 'Script Supervisor' or something along those lines.

It's a fascinating business. Being immersed in the production of a film - even a short 15 minute tutorial like this one - has given me so much more appreciation for the amount of work and dedication that goes into producing the things we take for granted on our television and cinema screens.

First off, there's the sheer scale of the operation. This little film-shoot involved a crew of about twenty people. So with twenty-people came catering and food for them all, too.

Everybody had a job - and our director was a highly efficient 'boss' and made sure they all knew what they were doing.

Shots were set up. Lighting was adjusted six million times (to tolerances so minute, I couldn't even notice them with my untrained eye.) The camera rolled and metres of video were recorded. We watched next door on a big screen TV.

The first thing I appreciated was the lighting. A properly 'lit' scene is THE difference between cinema or television quality recording and the crap we film on our camcorders.

Secondly, I garnered an enormous amount of respect for the 'talent.' We were using a union actor who was so slick and professional, I was in awe. Plus he was a really nice guy!

He could 'turn it on' and suddenly go from a regular guy to 'TV dude,' who would not have looked out of place on an episode of ER or something. He memorised the entire script (which was not the most thrilling read) and delivered it with unfaltering enthusiasm and charisma.

And considering his shooting schedule dragged on for about twelve straight hours, that smile he cracked attested to his stamina and patience.

Thirdly, I appreciated the attention to detail. Everything had to be perfect, from the sheen on the surface of the car we were filming to every lock of our actor's hair.

When we watch videos and commercials in the comfort of our own homes, we don't really appreciate these minute details. They just zoom past us like a digitized breeze. In reality, though, every second of screen time is carefully considered, prepped, polished and perfected before it ever reaches the consumer.

Forth, and finally, I came to realise what hard work filming was. Like the organization involved in keeping a twenty-man machine (or two hundred man machine, if you're filming a television show) moving relentlessly forward. Every second costs the production team money, so not a moment can be wasted.

The crew 'set up' at 6:45am each morning. On the final day of filming, we wrapped up at 1:30am the following morning. Breakfast, lunch and dinner had been served and eaten on the fly and the rest of the time was spent working. Always, relentlessly working.

But even watching the unedited footage, it was amazing to see words on a page become pictures on a screen. It looked amazing. Slick, professional and powerful.

Even though it was incredibly hard work, the reward was seeing it all 'come alive.'

That buzz and sense of achievement must be why people work so hard for so little pay, just to get the chance to work in the 'movie' business.

Filmmakers great and small - I salute you!